BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ejcrist]

This was the inspiration for my current rooster's name....he loves his fermented mash.

Hey now there ya go. I forgot all about using Andy Griffith for a source of ideas - my favorite show. Glad you reminded me - thanks.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Sounds like you like it. I read mixed reviews on it. At first I was going to get it but then I saw the books written earlier and found they had the info I was looking for. Does your book cover mostly breeding for physical characteristics or does it talk about breeding in general, the inbreeding coefficient, etc.? I'd still like to get Genetics of the Fowl if it has good info in it. So you'd recommend it I take it, correct?

Absolutely, I would recommend this book to anyone with more than a casual interest in chickens. It's very well written and absolutely packed with information. Good photos, graphs, charts and illustrations. I don't think you would be disappointed, unless you were looking for a how- to book on chicken breeding. It is a scientific literature review but not overly technical, and very well written.
Actually it is mostly a comprehensive literature review. It is not a how- to book per se, but the information is in there. It is around 550 pages, discussing the genetics behind the different manifestations of the genome. Here are the contents: ( By variation, there is a complete discussion of the differences found amongst (mostly) chickens, the odd mention of turkeys under that heading.
1. Domestic Birds; 2. Cytology ; 3. variations in the skeleton; 4.structural variations in the skin (eg combs and spurs); 5. Variations in the plumage; 6. Variations in the colour of the skin; 7.Variations in the colour of the plumage; 8. Lethal genes and miscellaneous characters; 9. Variations in body size; 10. Egg production; 11. Variations in eggs; 12. Genetic resistance to disease; 13. Genetic aspects of reproduction; 14. Linkage; 15. Genetics in practice; appendix, glossary, index.
Within the text are many aspects of breeding trial outcomes, and also, traits that are not due to genes. The chapter that deals specifically with how- to's of breeding is chapter 15, Genetics in Practice, which has objectives and methods; mass selection; progeny testing; inbreeding; and utilization of hybrid vigour.
There are mathematical formulas, including the coefficient of inbreeding, and lots of examples of the results of genetics experiments.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
You can read the book fo free online at http://www.archive.org or at my new fav place Hathi Trust Digital Libraray.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Hunting rarae and obscure chicken lit is abig hobby of mine. Esp. if I can find it online for free.So if you need some, just ask and I will go looking for it for you.
Best,
Karen

 

[bnjrob]

I'm not big on naming birds but it's actually helpful when me and my wife are talking about them - it's a lot easier than saying number 67 and then having to think which one that is. We don't name them all because that's way too much for my small brain to remember but we do have names for a couple of them that stand out.

We name our roosters for this same reason. Much easier to know which pen we're talking about if we can ID the rooster in it.

 

[ejcrist]

Hi,
You can read the book fo free online at http://www.archive.org or at my new fav place Hathi Trust Digital Libraray.
Best,
Karen

Thanks 3Rivers - appreciate the link. You live not too far from where my Mom grew up in Daisytown which is just up the hill and overlooking Johnstown. I never lived there but we spent a lot of time in your neck of the woods. I remember the flood back in the 70's very well - it was devastating. I grew up in Baltimore and then moved to York, PA when I got out the the USMC. PA is a great place to live.

 

[ejcrist]

Absolutely, I would recommend this book to anyone with more than a casual interest in chickens. It's very well written and absolutely packed with information. Good photos, graphs, charts and illustrations. I don't think you would be disappointed, unless you were looking for a how- to book on chicken breeding. It is a scientific literature review but not overly technical, and very well written.
Actually it is mostly a comprehensive literature review. It is not a how- to book per se, but the information is in there. It is around 550 pages, discussing the genetics behind the different manifestations of the genome. Here are the contents: ( By variation, there is a complete discussion of the differences found amongst (mostly) chickens, the odd mention of turkeys under that heading.
1. Domestic Birds; 2. Cytology ; 3. variations in the skeleton; 4.structural variations in the skin (eg combs and spurs); 5. Variations in the plumage; 6. Variations in the colour of the skin; 7.Variations in the colour of the plumage; 8. Lethal genes and miscellaneous characters; 9. Variations in body size; 10. Egg production; 11. Variations in eggs; 12. Genetic resistance to disease; 13. Genetic aspects of reproduction; 14. Linkage; 15. Genetics in practice; appendix, glossary, index.
Within the text are many aspects of breeding trial outcomes, and also, traits that are not due to genes. The chapter that deals specifically with how- to's of breeding is chapter 15, Genetics in Practice, which has objectives and methods; mass selection; progeny testing; inbreeding; and utilization of hybrid vigour.
There are mathematical formulas, including the coefficient of inbreeding, and lots of examples of the results of genetics experiments.

Thanks for the comprehensive info. I ordered the book since I'm very interested in the science behind breeding. I looked through the pages on Amazon and saw the inbreeding coefficient formula which I've been trying to figure out since the first time I saw it in a paper online. I think it's important to know since doing things like breeding siblings over a few generations increases the coefficient faster than breeding offspring to parents, even though intuitively I thought it wouldn't be much different. The paper gave the results of various pairings but not the formula, so I was trying to reverse-engineer it but not having much luck. Close but no cigar. I have the program ZooEasy to keep track of things when I start breeding and I'm entering data on my flock now, and it has a feature that calculates the inbreeding coefficient I believe. But I very much like to know the mathematics behind stuff like that so I can cross-check the results and understand what influences it.This book has that plus a lot of other great info. I'm going to see if I can download it too for quick searching but I'm kinda old fashioned when it comes to books in that I like to carry them around with me when I'm about so I can read when I get the chance. My son says I need to get with the times and I probably do, but I just don't get the same outa reading off a small screen on an iPhone or iPad as I do opening a good book. I'm one of those odd individuals that carries around a day planner. Anyway thanks again.

 

[DesertChic]

Ya know you gave me an idea. I'm going to name my next rooster Montelius. But I'm just going to call him Monty or he might attack when I don't expect it. The one rooster I have now is named Hoss because he's a big boy. Believe it or not he knows his name too. I'll have three more before the end of the year is out so I'll have to think of names for them too. Cogburn came to mind pretty quick so I might go with that but I'll have to think about the last one. Let me know if you think of anything good.

I'm not big on naming birds but it's actually helpful when me and my wife are talking about them - it's a lot easier than saying number 67 and then having to think which one that is. We don't name them all because that's way too much for my small brain to remember but we do have names for a couple of them that stand out.

Despite all the warnings I've received to the contrary, I name all of my birds. When I butcher them and freeze the carcasses, I write their names on the label so I know which bird I'm eating. As you said, it's hard to discuss a bird without a non-numerical identifier. And nearly all of my birds know their names. I can call many of them by name and they come running to me individually, especially my two Bielefelder roosters. Those two are more pets than anything else.

 

[DesertChic]

Thanks 3Rivers - appreciate the link. You live not too far from where my Mom grew up in Daisytown which is just up the hill and overlooking Johnstown. I never lived there but we spent a lot of time in your neck of the woods. I remember the flood back in the 70's very well - it was devastating. I grew up in Baltimore and then moved to York, PA when I got out the the USMC. PA is a great place to live.

My mom grew up in Spangler, PA. We had to go there for the celebration with the town got its first traffic light. Going to Johnstown meant going to the "big city".

 

[ejcrist]

Despite all the warnings I've received to the contrary, I name all of my birds. When I butcher them and freeze the carcasses, I write their names on the label so I know which bird I'm eating. As you said, it's hard to discuss a bird without a non-numerical identifier. And nearly all of my birds know their names. I can call many of them by name and they come running to me individually, especially my two Bielefelder roosters. Those two are more pets than anything else.

I totally agree. Even though I have names for some of them they're still livestock in my eyes intended for eggs and/or BBQ sauce. I don't view them anywhere near the same as my dogs. Dogs are a completely 'nother matter for me. I have a beagle now that's near the end of the line and just thinking about it really wears on me. When I lost my Springer Spaniel Opie back in 2009 I was pretty tore up for a long while afterward. We were a great team and he was the best hunting companion a person could ever have. But yeah, chickens are chickens and whenever I think of them I think of breakfast or supper whether they're named Snuggles or McNugget. Couldn't agree more.